Parents urged to ‘unplug’ their teenagers

Published:10:35Monday 11 January 2016

PARENTS struggling to “unplug” their teenagers from the TV, phone and tablet should encourage them to join Sea Cadets as an alternative way to spend their evenings, as it could improve their GCSE grades.

That was the claim today as research by Action for Children reveals that one in four parents struggle to encourage their children to turn off their gadgets. Meanwhile a Cambridge University survey found that for every hour of TV a young person watches, they lose two GCSE grades.

And a survey commissioned by Sea Cadets revealed the number one worry for young people aged 12 to 18 is the pressure of whether they will pass their exams or not. The cadets say their worries could be alleviated if they follow guidance by the University of Cambridge to swap screen time for physical activity.

A spokesman said: “Sea Cadets offers young people that opportunity, with a progressive training programme in a structured environment and gives young people the chance to challenge themselves through a range of nautical activities, like sailing, kayaking and rowing. Go on, get out on the water with us! Find your local unit at www.sea-cadets.org/units.”